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Kekalainen Settling In

Posted Feb 26, 2013
by Shawn Mitchell
| 0 comments

Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen met a good-sized gathering of the Columbus media for the first time today during a press conference in Nationwide Arena. He was late and he apologized. He got lost, he said, in a building with which he is thoroughly impressed.

“The facilities are world class, top notch. I think that’s a great starting point” said Kekalainen, who worked his first day in Columbus yesterday after traveling with the team for the final three games of six-game road trip.

“Everything has been taken care of and that’s one thing I think is really important as an organization, to set that up for the players so that all they need to do is just concentrate on getting better, playing well, playing hard and producing. This organization has done a great job with that.”

What the Blue Jackets have failed to do for nearly their entire existence is fail to win consistently, but Kekalainen wasn’t keen on providing an assessment of past.

“I don’t like criticizing people that worked before me or mistakes that were made,” said Kekalainen, who has a reputation as an ace scout. “I’d rather look into the future. There are some things that I am going to change as far the process goes. There are some things I’m going to bring to drafting and amateur scouting, the experience that I have in that area.

“I think we have a lot of good people in place. Drafting is not an exact science. Everybody makes mistakes. If you have find a scout that says he’s never made a bad pick or a bad suggestion he is a liar for sure. “

Kekalainen made a point of mentioning the admirable job his coaching staff has done. The rebuilding Blue Jackets are in last place, losers of eight of their previous 10 games.

But Kekalainen said he saw good things – character, hard work – during the three, one-goal losses he watched in Detroit, St. Louis and Chicago.

“My eyes and ears are open,” Kekalainen said. “I think the games that I’ve seen have been very competitive. I think those games, we worked hard as a team. I think that is the key element that we’re going to be looking for in the future. That’s huge, work ethic. That’s one thing that I think that we’re strong on right now. We have competitiveness, we have work ethic. Same thing with the coaching staff. They’re working hard. I think it’s a credit to the coaching staff that our team is working so hard and has been so competitive in all the games.”

That’s not to say Kekalainen is anywhere close to comfortable with the status quo. Change is coming. It already has. The Blue Jackets fired European scout Kjell Larsson last week.

Kekalainen said he had no intention of renewing Larson’s contract and thought it would be better to part ways in February than in the summer, when other teams have filled their positions. Besides, Kekalainen said, most of the season’s European scouting is done.

But there is still much to do before the Blue Jackets, armed with three first-round picks, head to beautiful Newark, N.J., for the June draft. Kekalainen has kept close tabs on North American hockey in recent years. He said he has already conversed with the 29 other NHL GMs – “I got through the book yesterday,” he said – and is prepared to make a deal right away if it would be of benefit.

“If something comes up that makes sense right away you have to be ready,” Kekalainen said. “Every day I’m learning something new. I should be up to date shortly.”

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